Founded in Vancouver, Canada in December 2006 as a way of sharing our knowledge and enthusiasm for the fountain pen hobby with others.

Meetings are *usually* held on the third Thursday of each month (with the exception of December) from 6:00pm-8:30pm but please check our website for meeting place info/schedule changes/updates. Both modern and vintage writing equipment enthusiasts are welcome!

Sunday, December 29, 2013

~ Monty the Christmas Moose with my new Hero 359 fountain pen ~Like many fountain pen users, I'm a fan of the iconic Lamy Safari fountain pen. A few weeks ago, I heard about a Chinese company that was making copies of this pen in non-Safari colour(s), so I ordered one of the purple fountain pens from eBay. The pen arrived, safe and sound, and came with a converter and a free pack of Hero ink cartridges. A word about the cartridges---though they look like, they are not international cartridges. According to one online seller, though, you can use Parker or Aurora cartridges in this pen (note: I tried my Parker cartridges in the Hero after I posted this review, and they do fit. I don't have any Aurora cartridges to try, but I've heard many times that they are interchangeable with Parker's)As for the pen itself, the plastic doesn't feel as sturdy as Lamy's ABS plastic, but it writes nicely, and its price point makes it the kind of pen you won't cry about losing (although I still prefer the construction & writing qualities of my Safaris :)
(review by Maja)

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

One of our longtime VPC members (Mark H.) had some pens stolen from his truck on the weekend, and asked me to post a message on our club's website on his behalf.

Mark posted a message on Craigslist on which he wrote this:
Stolen from my vehicle were a number of fountain pens, mostly vintage, Parker Duofolds, Vacumatics, 51's, Also Sheaffer flat tops, balance, snorkels, and touchdowns, Soenneckken 111 Superior Set, MB 142 , MB149, Waterman's nurses set, Waterman's Sheraton Red Ripple. These pens are mostly equipped with 14K nibs that have far less scrap value than as intact nibs.
Please send me a note if you come across any of these or suspicious persons selling pens that they have no clue about.

Here's a link to his Craigslist message with photos of some of the stolen pens http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/bnc/clt/4235365760.htmlIf anyone happens to come across these pens, or a suspicious sales listing for the pens, please contact Mark via Craigslist (hit the 'reply' button on the Craigslist page to send him a message). Thanks in advance!

Friday, December 6, 2013

Hope to see you at our next pen club meeting on Thursday January 16th, 2014 at 6:30pm, at the usual place--Perks pen store, 5844 Cambie Street in Vancouver, BC! Theme: to be announced---still working on it! Our theme for January will be "Sumgai Finds!" (ie. pens acquired at incredibly low prices).

The lovely pen in the photo is my new Jean-Pierre Lépine 'Mini Indigo' rollerball, purchased recently at Simply the Best, a well-stocked pen & luxury goods shop located in Victoria, BC. Many thanks to Jim for his excellent customer service!